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Basalt
A dark, dense, igneous rock with a fine texture, found in oceanic crust
brittle
Easily broken; not flexible
continental crust
The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains granite, is less dense than oceanic crust, and is ~40 km thick
core
The deepest layer of the earth below the mantle
Crust
thin outer layer that is solid and brittle
ductile
capable of being shaped, bent, or deformed
Granite
A usually light colored igneous rock that is found in continental crust
inner core
A dense sphere of solid iron and nickel at the center of Earth
Mantle
The layer of solid material that behaves like a plastic and is located between Earth's crust and core.
oceanic crust
The portion of the earth's crust that primarily contains basalt, is more dense than continental crust, and is ~7 km thick
outer core
the liquid layer of the Earth's core that lies beneath the mantle and surrounds the inner core
Peridotite
Dense, dark igneous rock that makes up the mantle.
Carbonate
minerals containing the carbonate compound CO3
Cleavage
the tendency of a mineral to break along flat surfaces
Color
Mineral property that is easy to use, but can be misleading.
Compound
A substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds
Element
A pure substance made of only one kind of atom
fracture
The way a mineral looks when it breaks apart in an irregular way
Hardness
A measure of how easily a mineral can be scratched
Impurity
elements that occur in a low concentration in a mineral that can change the color of the mineral
Inorganic
Not formed from living things or the remains of living things
Luster
The way a mineral reflects light from its surface
mineral
a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a crystal structure and a definite chemical composition
Mohs hardness scale
the standard scale against which the hardness of minerals is rated
native elements
Minerals made of a single element
Oxide
minerals that are made up of oxygen and a metal
oxygen
the most common element found in earth's crust
precipitation
Minerals that formed from water with dissolved atoms/ions in it
Silicate
minerals that contain silicon and oxygen
silicon
the 2nd most common element found in earth's crust
Streak
The color of a mineral in powdered form
Sulfide
minerals that are made up of sulfur and a metal
Bedding Planes
the surface that separates each successive layer of a stratified rock from its preceding layer and is found only in sedimentary rocks
burial
layers of sediment that are piled one upon another
Cementation
The process in which minerals precipitate into pore spaces between sediment grains and bind sediments together to form rock.
Compaction
the process by which sediments are pressed together under their own weight
Deposition
the process in which sediment is laid down
Erosion
Processes by which rock, sand, and soil are broken down and carried away
Foliation
The metamorphic rock texture in which mineral grains are arranged in bands.
Igneous
a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface
Lava
Magma that reaches Earth's surface
Magma
Molten rock beneath the earth's surface
Metamorphic
A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions.
rock
A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter
Sedimentary
A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together
Sediments
Loose materials such as rock fragments, mineral grains, and bits of shell
uplift
the rising of regions of the Earth's crust to higher elevations
Weathering
The breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.
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